Pigskin Papers: 2023 Waiver Wire Week 7
Sam Howell Keeps Producing
(Published October 16, 2023)
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Welcome to the Waiver Wire, Week 7 edition. Let’s dive right in, before I start talking about the lunacy that was Week 6. There are several reasons why this may be the most consequential week for waivers yet this season:
(1) Over the last 2 weeks, a number of high profile players (fantasy starters) have gotten injured. Notable Week 6 injuries include: CMC, David Montgomery, Kyren Williams AND backup Ronnie Rivers, Deebo Samuel, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Jimmy G, and Ryan Tannehill. We’ll know more about these injuries as the week progresses. But the point is that lots of fantasy teams are short-handed right now, due to injuries. Yes, it happens every season, but there are moments in each season that are worse than others. This is one of those moments.
(2) On top of all the injuries, there are SIX teams on bye in Week 7—and NONE in Week 8. Go figure. And can we please not call it a “Byepocalypse”??? We’re all better than that.
(3) We are at a point in the season where fantasy teams that are 0-6, 1-5, or even 2-4 really can’t afford another loss. This is likely going to be a week where some managers who’ve saved FAAB dollars are going to feel compelled to use them while they still have a chance to salvage the season - even if there aren’t players worth targeting with a huge bid. There are a lot of RBs to consider this week (see below) and that always attracts the FAAB dollars.
WEEK 7 BYES: PANTHERS, BENGALS, COWBOYS, JETS, TITANS, TEXANS
***********WEEK 7 Fantasy Preview Column: fantasy-preview-week-7 .********
The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short and long term prospects of those players. I also do my best to reveal which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Finally, I endeavor to find streamers who might help you in a pinch. Note that this advice is primarily intended for Season-Long leagues, and NOT Dynasty leagues.
Some of the players I’ll talk about won’t be available in your league. As a general rule, I list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10 team league with 6 bench spots will have a much larger free agent pool than a 14 team league with 8 bench spots. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.”
Week 7 Waiver Wire:
Derek Carr Could be Primed for a Big Second Half
QB: Here are some players to consider. None are high priority, but most can give you immediate help if you’re short.
I’ve been touting Sam Howell in this column for a few weeks now, and if he’s still available and you’re stuck this week, you could do worse. The Giants gave Josh Allen fits on Sunday night, but they’ve been a decent fantasy matchup for QBs this season. Howell has scored at least 18 fantasy points in each of his last 3 outings, and is the QB11 on the season. Works for me.
Desmond Ridder made some mistakes that cost his team in Week 6, but he’s been trending in the right direction the last few weeks, at least from a fantasy standpoint. He’s averaged 23 fantasy points over his last 2 games. The Falcons are at the Bucs this week, and they’ve been a fairly tough matchup for QBs (8th fewest Fantasy Points Per Game (FPPG) allowed to the position).
Derek Carr’s shoulder appears to be getting healthier. He threw 50 passes this week and his ADOT is slowly increasing to a more acceptable level. He’s got good receiving weapons, and can certainly help you in a pinch.
Jimmy G is a risky add as a streamer this week, as he left Sunday’s game with a back injury. Early reports are fairly encouraging, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play in Week 7. If he does, the Raiders travel to play the Bears and that’s a nice matchup as they’ve allowed the second most FPPG to QBs, and the second most passing TDs on the season (12).
Daniel Jones was dropped in a number of leagues and I’ve seen his roster percentage down around 40% in some leagues. I’m not sure when Jones will be back, and the Giants haven’t scored a TD in 3 games, so I get why you might be laughing at the suggestion of rostering Danny Dimes. But hear me out: the O-line will eventually get healthier, Barkley is back, and things can’t get any worse. I think the Giants will start to play decent offense at some point this season. As we saw last year, Jones has upside and a good rushing floor. If your QB room is thin, consider adding Jones for depth.
Malik Willis. This is a speculative add, and probably one that only makes sense in a Superflex league. He won’t help you this week as the Titans are on a bye. Ryan Tannehill may miss time, and Willis appears to be ahead of Will Levis on the depth chart. The Titans are in last place in their division and may want to get another look at Willis. We know he can run, which always adds value and provides some type of floor.
If you want an even bolder stash play, and you’ve got a deep bench, there’s another Malik out there who is intriguing. That’s Malik Cunningham, who was promoted to the Patriots’ active roster on Sunday and appears to be the new #2 behind the struggling Mac Jones. Cunningham could get a shot at some point and he’s also a gifted runner.
Kareem Hunt Stings the 49ers
RB: There are some good options here. I’m assuming Chuba Hubbard is now rostered in the vast majority of leagues but if for some reason he’s on your waiver wire, he’s a priority add. I’ve mentioned Jeff Wilson each of the last few weeks and he’s also a very good waiver target if he’s out there. Here are some players who are more likely to be available:
Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. This isn’t an easy situation to handicap at the moment, both in terms of whether CMC will miss time (and if so, how much), and if he does, which of these 2 runners would get the bigger opportunity in his stead. Mitchell is the more rostered of the 2, and likely would get the first crack, but he has really struggled to stay healthy throughout his 3 year career. If they’re both available, I’d prefer Mitchell, but both are good adds given what RBs can do in this offense.
Craig Reynolds. For the second time this season, David Montgomery is going to miss some time, and so for the second time this season, Reynolds makes the column. Jahmyr Gibbs has missed the last 2 games (hamstring), and it’s unclear when he’ll return. There are 2 reasons to target Reynolds: (1) He had some nice games in 2021 when he got a starting opportunity, and (2) This is a GREAT offense for RBs. Just ask Jamaal Williams and Montgomery.
Zach Evans. We could be entering “next man up” territory for the Rams, with both Williams and Rivers going down in Week 6. Rivers is the more hurt of the 2, but it sounds like Williams is also going to miss at least one game. Evans could get a pretty big opportunity on a team that’s leaned on one runner all season, and that’s had good success running the ball. The Rams host the Steelers in Week 7 and they’ve been a nice RB matchup. Evans could be a solid short-term streamer for you, although it’s hard to know what to expect from him. The Rams also have Royce Freeman, but I think Evans should get the first look.
Keaontay Ingram. Ingram returned from his neck injury in Week 6 and he led the team in carries and also led the RBs in receptions. This looks like a committee while Conner is out, and it’s not a great offense, but Ingram is still with rostering and can start for you as an RB2 or flex in a pinch.
Kareem Hunt saw an uptick in usage in Week 6, and his 15 touches were a season high. He also ran in a TD. I wouldn’t get too excited—I think Jerome Ford will continue to lead this backfield, but Hunt has some upside and especially as a change-of-pace and 3rd down back who can catch passes. He’s a good depth add.
Roschon Johnson and D’Onta Foreman were mentioned last week and should both be rostered.
Devin Singletary, Zeke Elliott, and Latavius Murray have all been playing pretty well in what are largely backup roles. I think all 3 are worth considering if you’re looking for some depth or need an emergency starter in the next few weeks. Murray becomes more attractive with the injury to Damien Harris, but I like these 3 in the order listed.
Rashee Rice is Emerging as KC’s Top WR
WR: Diontae Johnson should be back either this week or next. If he was dropped in your league, add him now. Others to consider:
Rashee Rice appears to be the only KC receiver you can even consider starting. I still don’t love the low snap share or targets, but that should continue to increase. He’s 100% worth a roster spot and you can use him as a low-end flex if need be.
Wan’Dale Robinson looked good on Sunday night and had team highs in targets (8) and catches (8). He’s getting a lot of work on short area targets and is getting targeted on almost 30% of his routes. These kinds of impressive usage numbers should continue given how this offense is currently running.
Kendrick Bourne has teased us once before (his 2 TD performance in Week 1) and he’s done nothing much since then until this past week, so I’m hesitant to recommend him after his big game at the Raiders (10-89 on 11 targets). If you add him and start him, know that you’re buying into a struggling offense and inconsistency.
Others to consider (all have been mentioned in this column before): Jameson Williams and Josh Reynolds, Josh Palmer, Josh Downs, and Curtis Samuel.
Another Rookie TE is Heard From
TE: There isn’t a ton of help at TE. There almost never is. But here are some players you can consider:
Taysom Hill actually played TE this week. Really! He set career highs in targets (8) and catches (7), while running 33 routes. I have no idea if this will continue, as Juwan Johnson will return at some point. Still, if he gets used like this, and also gets some carries or throws, he’s a fantasy starter.
Michael Mayer got more involved this week, with a 21% target share, and 5 catches for 75 yards. Rookie TEs not named Sam LaPorta are very hard to trust, and the Raiders targets have basically gone to just 3 guys all season, but Mayer has real pass catching skills and could emerge as a viable fantasy TE in the second half of the season.
Fine, add Jonnu Smith. I keep expecting his productivity to stop and I keep being wrong.
PK Streamers, Week 7: J. Myers (vs. ARI), G. Gano (vs. WAS), B. Maher (vs. PIT).
D/ST Streamers, Week 7: LAR (vs. PIT) , IND (vs. CLE), GB (@DEN).
Good luck with your Week 7 Waiver claims!
DH
***This column (Waiver Wire) appears each Monday, and the Weekly Fantasy Preview each Thursday. Please bookmark the site and come back often. You can also follow on Social Media - on Instagram (thepigskinpapers) and Twitter (@PigskinPapers). I appreciate your patronage and welcome your feedback. You can post in the comment boxes or email pigskinpapers@gmail.com.***
